The light intensified. Kairi was quickly awakened by the light and used her arms to shield her eyes. The light slowly faded away and a chirp was heard from the bed.
"Could it be...?" The chirp could only mean that her egg had finally hatched.
She jumped out of the tub. Excitement filled her as she struggled to dry herself. No sooner did she grab her clothes, the doors crashed open and a male voice cried out in alarm.
"Silly girl, are you alright?!" came Zhang Sheng's concerned voice. More footsteps could be heard from the other side of the screen wall. The light must've seeped out of the room catching the attention of many.
"Get out!" she screamed from behind the screen wall. With the light from the candles, her shadow casted onto the screen revealing her every curve. Voices of shock and surprised filled the room then Zhang Sheng's voice boomed right after.
"Get lost!" he roared. She was in the middle of slipping into her robes when she heard the noise of feet shuffling out of the room. Letting out a sigh of relief, she finished putting on her clothes and stepped out from behind the screen. She was quite surprised to see Zhang Sheng lifting up the doors that had been kicked off its hinges. Once the doors were back in place, he didn't bother leaving the room. Instead, he strode over to the bed where the small golden fire bird sat.
"Look! It hatched!" Zhang Sheng exclaimed brightly. The golden fire bird ignored Zhang Sheng but chirped happily at the sight of Kairi. So, it knew who its owner was. It flapped its wings furiously thinking it would fly but it merely levitated an inch off the bed for a few seconds.
"How cute!" Kairi cried as sat at the edge of the bed. She held out a hand and the bird instantly jumped into her palm. "You're not even as big as my palm!"
Seeing that he had been completely ignored, Zhang Sheng huffed.
"Aren't you going to thank me for kicking the guards out of room?" he asked with a pout.
"Thank you? You barged your way into the room while I was bathing and you want me to thank you?"
There was a loud slap followed by a bang.
Zhang Sheng had been kicked out of the room after being slapped fully in the face by Kairi.
The next morning, Zhang Sheng sported a red handprint on his left cheek.
"I was only worried something might have happened. Did you really have to slap me that hard?" he asked. Kairi sat opposite from him in the small carriage. She had ignored him the moment she woke up and hasn't said a word since. She focused all her attention on the hatched golden firebird. She couldn't help but smile at the fluffy baby bird.
"You look like a little ball of fluff," she crooned. The baby bird chirped happily at its owner.
Seeing that he had been completely ignored cause of a bird, Zhang Sheng reached out to grab it. The bird sensed danger and immediately spat a little fireball at his hand. For a moment, Kairi's heart stopped. The fireball was the size of a coin but she could sense the strength in that ball alone. It was enough to knock a fully grown man to the ground but Zhang Sheng easily flicked the fireball out the window with precision and continued to reach forward. It was Kairi who finally used her body as a shield. She turned her body around with the baby bird clutched tightly in her arms.
"What do you think you're doing?" she hissed at him.
"Oh, so you're finally talking to me?" he asked as he lowered his hand. Kairi bit her lower lip. She swore not to say a word to him but she couldn't contain her anger when it came to her baby. The little fire bird chirped and its head popped out from her arms. It glared menacingly at Zhang Sheng. If the bird was a human, Kairi was sure it would throw a few cuss words at him followed by sticking its tongue out at him.
"I really apologize for last night. I thought something had happened to you..." Zhang Sheng said truthfully. Unaware of his real concern, Kairi merely brushed off his apology.
"Fine. I wouldn't want to enter your palace as your enemy away," Kairi said. She dug into her pouch and pulled out a balm. "Here. Jie's balm will heal any scar. I mean to send it to A Hua but I'll let you use it first."
Zhang Sheng raised a perfectly arched brow as the corner of his lips stretched from ear to ear. A set of beautiful white teeth emerged and he asked, "You care for me this much?"
Kairi huffed at his teasing. He has already returned to his old self. She's learned quickly that the only way to stop the endless teasing was to switch topics.
"We aren't riding a carriage all the way to the palace, are we? If I remember correctly, it would take at least three days to reach the palace without a carriage," she said. Her words triggered something inside of Zhang Sheng because his entire demeanor suddenly changed. His smile faded and his face grew serious.
"We're heading for the white bird stable. It's at the other end of the city. We'll ride the white bird straight to the palace. I want to make it there before nightfall," Zhang Sheng replied. "I'm not going to repeat the same mistake twice."
So they weren't taking a carriage all the way to the palace after all. She was glad. If she spent another week in this carriage, she might just go crazy.
"Your little bird's aura won't be concealed for much longer. You need it to start cultivating that life crystal from its mother," he said suddenly. Kairi knew too well why he had mentioned the life crystal. Without knowing the true background of this little firebird, Zhang Sheng could tell that its strength would be massive when it reaches maturity. The aura of it alone was enough to lure anyone. If they were to learn of its phoenix bloodline, Kairi was sure that she'd be hunted down by everyone.
She pulled out the life crystal. It was twice as big as the little firebird and glowed a deep orange from within. The little firebird couldn't hold it so she simply placed it on top. Warmth wash over the both of them and the aura of the firebird faded. The little firebird went still as it slowly absorbed the energy from its mother's life crystal.
With the help of its mother's core power, the little firebird's aura was well hidden just a matter of minutes. It looked nothing more than an ordinary chick.
"Guess, I'll give you a name. What do you think about Xiao Huo?" Kairi asked. The little firebird chirped happily. It bounced up and landed on her shoulder with a thud. She laughed and nodded. "Xiao Huo, it is. We'll soon be entering a palace so you be on your best behavior, alright?"
Xiao Huo gave out a final chirp and sat quietly. She stroke the front of its chest with her forefinger. She had almost forgotten that Zhang Sheng was sitting across from her.
"You're still here," she thought out loud. She wanted to throw back a retort when she saw the look in his eyes. It was fierce, possessive, and dare she even think it, lustful. That question she had wanted to ask before suddenly surfaced again. What were the two of them? Master and disciple? Friends? Or were they simply no more than acquaintances because of several encounters? She's sensed it before. That burning passion in his eyes was no joke but his behavior says otherwise. Kairi didn't understand him.
The two of them locked eyes for a very long time searching for answers within each other, unable to say anything in return. One feared rejection while the other feared for her safety. If Kairi had kept her hairpin on, she would've heard Zhang Sheng's heartfelt confession but neither would find out each other's true feelings until much later. Zhang Sheng stopped teasing her and pulled out his book to read as if there was no one else but him inside the carriage. What was with the strange switch in behavior, she thought.
After a stifling half hour, the carriage pulled to a stop. Kairi stepped out of the carriage and the first thing she saw four giant white crowned birds. They stood at least ten meters tall. One of them stretched its wings and Kairi couldn't help but marvel at the sight. Its wingspan was almost the length of two football fields. She remembered reading about them. They were tamed and intelligent demon beast birds that can travel long distance at a fast speed.
"They're beautiful," Kairi breathed. Zhang Sheng stood next to her and patted her head.
"Fear not. When your little fluff ball grows big enough, it'll be more beautiful than these ordinary demon beast birds," he told her. Kairi remembered what the mother golden firebird. It lost its radiance but it still looked beautiful despite on the brink of death. She has only seen pictures of a phoenix and wondered just how beautiful her Xiao Huo would be when it fully matured.
Having forgotten the awkward silence in the carriage because of the open space, Kairi quickly hopped on one of the white birds while Zhang Sheng dealt with their luggage. Eventually all of their luggage were packed under the belly of the white bird they have chosen and Zhang Sheng finally jumped onto the white bird's back. He gave out orders to their bodyguards and they quickly flew off into the distance.
Riding on the back of the white bird was much more comfortable than riding in the bumpy carriage. Zhang Sheng had stopped talking to her altogether but she wasn't torn over it. The open sky and the wind on her face cleared her thoughts. She quite enjoyed the ride and the scenery, completely oblivious to Zhang Sheng's stare. Xiao Huo, however, had been eyeing Zhang Sheng. It kept a protective stance over its master. Zhang Sheng couldn't help but chuckle at the little furball's courage. He chuckled softly, catching the attention of Kairi.
"What?" she asked curiously. Zhang Sheng patted her head like he normally did and said, "Just admiring the view." There was that look in his eyes again. There was only the two of them and Kairi didn't think she could hold it off anymore.
"Zhang Sheng, what are we? Friends? Shizhi and shishu? Or are we more than that?" she asked finally. She refused to break eye contact. She wanted a straight answer now.
"Do you want us to be something more?" he asked huskily. Her heart thumped at the suggestion.
"I guess you can say I've fallen in love with you," she said as she tore her eyes away in embarrassment. Raising a hand, he grabbed her softly by the chin. He leaned in. The distance between them slowly closed. Kairi instinctively shut her eyes. Seconds ticked by and she suddenly heard a laugh. Her eyes fluttered open and saw Zhang Sheng laughing. Kairi felt her face burn. She had anticipated a kiss but he was just fooling around with her. Zhang Sheng ruffled her hair like an adult would a child.
"My dear little shizhi, I admit you have grown into quite the woman. I'm not going to lie, I might've felt something when I saw you again after you were taken away by the White Tiger Gang but I will never cross that line with you. As for the engagement between us, it really was absolved when the news came out that you had died. I've simply been using it to my advantage," he said. Kairi felt her heart shatter into a million pieces. For her to hear his answer, it wasn't something she was ready for.
"Then... why did you come looking for me?" Kairi asked.
"I made a promise to Grandmaster Liu that I would protect you at all cost. I don't intend to break that promise to my master," he replied. She was lost for words. Her eyes rung as she struggled to keep composure. "I didn't mean to lead you on. I needed to find anyway to bring you back to the palace. It's for your safety."
"Right... my safety. Thank you for making it clear on what our relationship status truly is," Kairi said and looked away. She felt stupid and like a complete fool, she bared her feelings out for him only to be rejected. From the corner of her eyes, she could see him reaching out to grab her shoulder.
"Don't touch me!" she cried out. His hand froze in midair at her sharp tone. "Don't do anything that will make me misunderstand your intentions, please." He slowly retracted his hand and didn't say anything else. The entire ride was quiet after the harsh rejection from Zhang Sheng.
The sun was dipping behind the horizon when the both of them made it to the large gate of the palace. Servants and guards were there ready to greet the two of them. It seemed that they had already received notice of their arrival.
"Welcome back, your highness, Lady Xiao You," the head eunuch said. Without looking at Kairi, Zhang Sheng gave out his orders.
"Carry the First Miss's stuff to her quarters and show her to her room. She must be tired from the journey here," he said.
"Yes, your highness," came the reply from everyone. He didn't say anything else and took off with his robes swaying behind him.
"So, now that I'm safe and sound in the palace, you aren't going to care for me anymore?" Kairi thought bitterly. What was she thinking? How could a crown prince who is fighting for the throne would come to love a girl like her?
"Lady Xiao You, please come this way," one of the maids said suddenly. Kairi took one last look at where Zhang Sheng disappeared off to and reluctantly followed after the maid.
The palace was grand, indeed. When she was on top of the white crowned bird, she could see how vast the palace truly was. It was made out of white marble, jade, and gold; simply a work of art. During the walk toward her quarters, she was explained the palace grounds and rules. Where they were now was the west part of the Zhang Palace. It had its own name, Xiwu palace and it was still larger than Liu Sect. It was owned by Zhang Sheng and only people who were handpicked by Zhang Sheng himself was allowed to work inside Xiwu Palace.
Since Kairi was a guest, she was limited to certain places of the palace and wasn't allowed to step foot outside of Xiwu Palace unless she received permission by Zhang Sheng. She suddenly felt like she had been imprisoned but she figured it was better than living in her master's village and being married to Er Niu.
"These are you maids. Should you need anything, you can call on them," said the head maid. Several maids stood in a row and they all lowered their heads and bowing deeply. Seeing them reminded her of A Hua. She wondered how A Hua was. It's been years since she left the manor. Were the other servants treating her right? Kairi's hand unconsciously went to the special balm she had gotten from Yi Rue. She hadn't forgotten her promise to fix A Hua's face.
"How do I send gifts to Lan Manor?" Kairi asked. One of the maids looked up and replied, "I'm sorry but for your protection, nothing can come or go from your quarters. You have been limited to moving around in this wing only as only servants from this wing knows only of your stay here."
"What?" Kairi felt confused. Sure, she knew that the second prince wanted her family's dead but wasn't Zhang Sheng going a bit overboard? Could Feng Jiu be receiving the same treatment?
"What of my sister, Feng Jiu?" she asked. The maids looked nervously exchanged glances and the first maid who had spoken up finally replied, "She is residing in the east wing where Crown Prince Zhang Sheng's quarters are."
So that's how it was, Kairi thought bitterly. Over the years, the two of them must've gotten close. That womanizing, two timing bastard. She felt even more embarrassed now when she thought about her confession.
"What was I thinking?" she thought stupidly.
"My lady?" the maid spoke up fearing that Kairi might unleash her anger at them. Seeing how terrified the maid looked, Kairi finally calmed down. She wasn't one to unleash her anger on an innocent person. Forcing a smile on her face she asked, "Where's my room?"
She was led to her room and the moment she was left alone, tears sprung out at last.